Deutsche Bahn is continuing on track to success. During the first six months of 2011 the company recorded the highest revenues it ever earned in a half-year period, along with a surge in profits and a renewed increase in the number of passengers.
First half 2011 revenues rose by €2.8 billion, or 17.2% over the same year-ago period, to €18.9 billion.
The increase is significantly higher than the additional €1.5 billion in revenues contributed by the latest addition to the Group, Arriva.
Dr. Rüdiger Grube, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of DB AG, said:
“The figures confirm that we have been on the right track and also signal that we should continue on as we have. Above all else we want to become more customer- and environmentally-friendly while raising our levels of service and quality.
“Open and honest communication with our customers is very important for us. And that is why we will start publishing our punctuality scores in the local and long-distance segments every month on the DB Internet site as of this September.”
All business units contributed to the favorable results. Adjusted results from operations (adjusted EBIT) rose in the first half of the year to €1.1 bn, or €287 million (+34%) more than the same year-ago figure.
Net financial debt increased by €351 million between December 31, 2010 and June 30, 2011 to €17.29 bn.
The number of passengers traveling via Deutsche Bahn trains rose again during the first half of the year and increased by 1.9% or 18.4 million to 972.5 million.
Volumes produced in the rail passenger transport segment were almost unchanged at 38 billion passenger kilometers (Pkm).
The number of passengers recorded for the bus transport segment remained unchanged at 408.5 million.
Volumes sold in the bus transport segment declined by 1.2% or 56 million to 4.72 billion passenger kilometers for reasons including the declining number of school children.
Rail freight transport was able to grow further in the first half of the year as the volume of freight transported increased by 4.6 million tonnes or 2.3% to 207.8 million tonnes. At the same time, volumes sold rose by almost 4.2 billion tonne kilometers to 56.78 billion tonne kilometers, or 8% more.
European land transport recorded a strong upswing as the number of shipments surged by 20.7 percent or 8.14 million to 47.51 million.
While volumes of ocean freight also climbed by 4.6%, air freight volume declined marginally by 0.6%.
Demand for train-path rose further in the first half of 2011.
Track kilometers in track infrastructure increased by 2.5% or 12.9 million train-path kilometers to 521.4 million train-path kilometers.
Non-Group railways’ share of total train-path demand amounted to 20.8%, and surpassed the 20% level for the first time ever.
